by Kevin Culp
“Ummm… Yes?”
Torgar spoke now. “Torgar respect, Not-Demon Korana. Torgar offer help. She give weapon.”
From there everything went smoothly. I had to wait for the other groups to arrive, and when they did, I held up the head of the demon, and they surrendered. We located all the slaves in the city and paid their respective owners the price we had agreed to. Grennick had worked with some other older goblins and decided they would create a council to determine their laws going forward. I informed Grennick that I would check in from time to time, and they needed to avoid reverting back to old ways because I didn’t want to pay another visit. He definitely agreed that me visiting was not something he would look forward to.
Some of the slaves that were in good shape left the mountain with me and helped build some wagons that the horses could pull. We would still be fighting the cold, and we had several individuals that couldn’t walk that would need transportation. It took us a few days to sort everything out, and Christina spent a lot of that time with her mom. She still didn’t feel comfortable going in that nursery, and it bothered her that her mom still spent a lot of time there.
It had already been arranged that there would be women who spent more time there and took care of the children. In spite of everything, no one wanted to just let the King’s children die due to bad blood. The King would be coming with us, and I would deliver him to Prince Leovald at the border to answer for his crimes. I was certain that meant death, but even Archaeus didn’t have a problem with that after all he had done.
We were given access to empty homes during the few days we were there. It was sad to think that the homes were likely empty due to goblins we had killed, but it was a truth of war that no one could deny. Aside from the two hundred we killed upon arrival, another hundred and fifty or so died in front of the cave and another forty died in the city's entrance. Oegim was going to come with us, but he still insisted on spending the last of his time here in the throne room.
The time finally came for us to leave. Torgar and Korana had talked a decent bit since the battle. He admired her strength, though finding out I really was stronger than her, led to him calling me a demon. I would think seeing my feathery wings and halo during the battle might at least get some people who saw it to convince him I was an angel, but I guess I wasn’t that lucky. I said my goodbyes to Grennick and Turny. The young goblin especially had been a huge help.
We were able to stock up on grain for the horses. I told Grennick that it was going to be a goal of mine to help them get on decent terms with some of the surrounding cities, so they could establish trade. In the end, I wasn’t sure if the goblins had resorted to their methods due to not being accepted by other races or if the other races didn’t accept them because of their methods. At this point, it had gone on for so long I wasn’t certain anyone could say for sure.
We went to the throne room to get Oegim, Sarah, and King Leonard. When we arrived, Oegim was actually sitting on the throne. It was the first time we had seen him there since he was freed. It had been a source of shame for him that the throne was taken, and he spent so many years not being able to do anything about it. We continued past him into the King’s bedroom.
The King didn’t even bother to fight anymore, and he was no longer gagged. We knocked on the door to the nursery. After a few moments, Sarah answered the door. She stepped outside and closed it slowly. She looked distraught.
“It’s time to go, momma,” Christina said.
There was a moment of silence before her mom responded. “I… I can’t go.”
“What do you mean you can’t go? It’s time to leave. You aren’t stuck here anymore.”
“But I am. I will never really leave this place.”
Christina started crying. “Momma, I know I can’t begin to imagine what you have been through, but we are taking you from here.”
“Christina, you don’t know everything. I want to tell you everything, but I can’t.”
“Why, Momma? Why can’t you tell me everything?” She cried.
Sarah paused for a moment. “Because as ashamed as I am, I can’t leave everything behind here, and I don’t want you or any of my friends to see me for what I am now.”
It was obvious she was crying, though her burnt eyes meant that tears did not come. I had assumed before that her tear ducts no longer functioned, but now I was certain of it. The woman fell to her knees, and Christina fell with her holding her.
“Please, Momma, just tell me what’s wrong. I promise that I will accept you no matter what it is. Your friends will accept you. They wouldn’t possibly blame you for anything that happened to you here.”
Sarah was still for a few moments and gathered her composure. She reached up slowly and opened the door to the nursery.
“Grigear, come here.” She said the words gently, and I could hear love in her voice.
A small greenish-yellow child hobbled out of the room and into her arms. He was probably two or three years old, much older than the others in the nursery. I believed it was the same boy that had been lying on the pile of blankets in the center of the room when we first arrived. He had on a diaper of rags but was naked aside from that. A small patch of black hair sat on top of his head.
“Grigear, this is Christina. She is your sister.”
The news seemed to be relatively shocking, but some things Sarah had said since we found her made it not really surprise me especially given the circumstances. She had been one of the King’s wives and she was still only in her mid to late thirties. I imagined she had been very pretty before this whole ordeal. Even with the prematurely white hair and burnt eyes, I could tell that much.
The look on Christina’s face was one of confusion and terror. I don’t think she was really processing the information she had gotten here very well. In all fairness, I wasn’t sure how well I would handle finding out that my mom had a goblin child during the time she was a slave. Not that many people ever had to deal with that.
“You see why I can’t leave, Christina. No matter what happened, he’s still my child. I can’t leave him here.”
Christina steeled herself. “We’ll bring him with us.”
“But, Christina, you know what people would think. People gossip, and he won’t be accepted.”
“Momma, this wasn’t a choice you made, but I respect that even now you can love and care about him. Archaeus wants to make it so that people aren’t judged based on their heritage and can all work together. One of his best friends is a goblin, and Korana wasn’t accepted anywhere until she came to Freid. If there is anywhere in the world you can be accepted, it’s with us. I know I will do my best to love him as a brother.”
I could tell that Sarah wanted to cry again. “Okay. We will come with you.”
Christina slowly moved to pick up the child. As she did, she was crying, but the kid seemed happy enough. He grabbed her hair with a tiny fist and pulled. She winced a bit but positioned the child on her side and took her mother’s hand.
“Let’s go, Archaeus.”
I could tell she was doing her best to keep it together. I couldn’t imagine everything she was going through at the moment, and I’m sure her mom was just as confused. I definitely wanted to make this a world where everyone could be accepted, but truthfully, it wasn’t just the fact that he was half-goblin that really made this child hard to accept. That being said, it wasn’t his fault, and I certainly wouldn’t want him to be judged for that.
We loaded everyone that couldn’t walk in the carriages. Many of the people would be freezing on this trip, but we did get plenty of firewood to burn at night and once we got to the border the prince should have warmer clothes and blankets available. I had spoken with the Prince a few times, just to let him know our status and how many people were going to be with us. Total there were three hundred and fifty-two captives and slaves we had freed. Nine of them were soldiers who had been guarding Freid.
They told me that a few captives had died along the way
. Most of the men that had been inside the caves during the attack had apparently been captured. Once the wagons were loaded up, we started on our journey. We camped out at night and built tons of fires. Those on foot were especially grateful for the warmth.
After two days, we reached the border. When I arrived, there was a military force present on both sides. Before we crossed the border, a man approached me. He was tall and broad-shouldered with dark hair. He wore full plate armor with no helmet and had a large sword strapped to his back. I was walking along Zeus’ side and there was a young boy and girl on his back. It hadn’t really surprised me that some slaves were children, and as they got used to seeing him they became obsessed with the giant puppy. I had decided to let them have a ride, and Zeus didn’t object after all they had been through.
When the man approached, he pressed his fist to his chest and bowed. “Sir Archaeus Velnir, I presume?”
“I am, and who might you be?
“My name is General Edgar Loam. I am here on orders from our great Emperor on behalf of the Imperial Army.”
I felt there was a little more to this than just preparing for strife with an approaching military force. “And how may I help you, General Loam?”
“His Emperor sends his thanks to you who has freed so many of our people. We request that those who are citizens of this great Empire remain within its borders.”
I thought about that for a moment. Truthfully, I had spoken with quite a few of the captives and several of them were from the Largon Empire though many more were from Irisia and the Varnelion Kingdom. Either way, I had no way of knowing off the top of my head what those numbers had been like and who was really from where. It’s not like I was kidnapping these people, and they were all coming with me willingly, knowing I was the one who saved them. I thought for a moment.
“Truthfully, I do not know where each of these individuals come from. I have taken residence in the Varnelion Kingdom, and they have been very accepting of me. That being said, I am not from there myself. I hope that my relations with the Largon Empire can be as open as those with the Varnelion Kingdom and have no qualms with leaving your people here as long as I know they will be cared for.”
“We have brought supplies to ensure their comfort as we help them find their way home.” He said.
“That is all well and good, but I would also never ask one to stay in a land they do not feel safe.” I turned to face the crowd of people that was following me. “Any that wish to stop here and find your way home with the Largon Imperial Army may do so. Any who wish to travel further into the Varnelion Kingdom may do so as well.”
About thirty or forty people stepped out from the group and met with soldiers from the Largon Empire who were holding coats and blankets. It was a decent number of people, but even I realized it was probably less than half of the people that were from the Largon Empire that were with us. I wasn’t certain whether General Loam realized that or not.
“Are we good?”
He paused for a moment. “Yes, Sir Velnir. Thank you.”
He bowed again then left. Once he had gone, we began making our way across the border. Soldiers immediately came and started giving the people coats, blankets, boots, and pants. I stood there as the people thanked the soldiers and reveled in their first real opportunity at warmth in days. There were also fires scattered all over the camp that the people gathered around.
“Well done, Archaeus. Of course, I knew you would succeed.” The Prince had walked up behind me while I was getting the young boy and girl off Zeus’ back.
“That makes one of us. There were times that I wasn’t so sure.”
“Yes, you definitely made that demon sound frightening. When you first told me that there was such a thing as eighth and ninth tier magic I couldn’t believe it. Magic that can kill someone in an instant is just devastating.”
“It is indeed. He said his name was Bjorn-jakal. Of course, I intend to ask Gregory, but I would appreciate it if you could do some research into this for me. This doesn’t seem to be the end of the fight.”
“Of course. I will ensure that the best scholars are researching it.”
“Ooohh… This pretty. Kreego like.” Suddenly, Kreego was standing next to the Prince and holding his sword looking at it closely.
The Prince looked down and saw him, then reached for his weapon as if he never realized it was taken. He seemed to get angry but just sighed. “I am guessing you’re, Kreego?”
“Yes, this Kreego. You be, Leovald. Archaeus tell Kreego lots.”
“Yes, he told me a lot about you as well. Can I have my sword back, Kreego?”
“Eh. Kreego weapon better anyway.” He handed Leovald his sword.
“I understand you paid a hefty sum of money to free the slaves. I’m glad that you did that honestly. There was no need for additional violence. That being said, I owe you.” He held out a bag that I assumed was full of gold.
“I did what I felt was best. I can’t accept that.”
“Kreego accept then.” The bag of gold was missing from the Prince’s hand before either of us even realized Kreego had taken it.
The Prince started to say something, but I stopped him. “It’s fine. If I need money, Kreego will give it to me.”
Leovald looked Kreego up and down, though Kreego was too busy counting the coins in the pouch to notice. “It’s hard to believe that this goblin is as strong as you. I’m glad you found one of your friends though. Did he know anything about the whereabouts of the others?”
“Unfortunately, no. From what he’s told me, he kept getting run out of human cities the second they saw him and has had little opportunity to gather information.”
“That’s too bad. I’m still keeping my ear to the ground and will let you know if I learn anything.”
“Thank you, Leovald.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what we would have done without you in this crisis.”
“I’m glad I was here to help these people. The Goblin King is restrained in the last wagon. There is also a very old dwarf that was former nobility in the first wagon that I would appreciate it if you could make sure he finds a good home where he can be well cared for.”
“I will do my best to help him.”
I nodded and extended my arm. He grasped my forearm, and I did the same. With that, we parted ways. I made my way over to a fire, and after a few minutes, Christina had found me. She was holding her mother’s hand, and her little brother was in her mom’s arms. The cold really didn’t seem to bother him too much, but she did have him wrapped in a blanket.
I put my arm around Christina and held her next to the fire. I looked around at all the soldiers and people. Most of them were just happy to be free and warm. I knew that something more was coming. Part of me questioned if this looming threat had something to do with why we were summoned to this world. I guess there always had to be some great threat for there to be a reason for heroes to be summoned to another world, but maybe it was presumptuous to assume that I was supposed to be some great hero. Whatever it was, I knew that I needed to locate my friends either way. Not only that, but I needed to truly learn to fight as Archaeus. I had been losing the fight with the demon before Kreego intervened. The fact that Archaeus won the fight so quickly when I had not proved that I was holding Archaeus back.
“What do we do next Archaeus?” Christina asked.
I looked at her, brushed the hair out of her eyes, and gave her a kiss. She was the woman that I loved. More than anything I knew that I needed to protect her. She had grown strong on her own and was still continuing to grow. If she was getting stronger, then I needed to as well.
“We go home, and we train.”
Epilogue
We had gotten back to Freid about three weeks ago. The travel was tiring, but we stopped in Renero again on the way back to visit the hot springs. I felt everyone deserved a little relaxation after this ordeal. It was just our original group along with Kreego, Sarah, and Grigear. The soldiers that we
re taken from Freid went back with the army. Apparently, Edric had gotten word from the capital and left Freid at some point. His men that had lost their lives in Freid had already been transported to their families for burial.
By the time we returned, the construction of the town hall was finished. The small home that had been built just before it, I decided to give to Kreego. Christina had insisted that her mom move in with us, but she refused. She said she didn’t want to intrude on a young couple, and the first baby we should have to worry about having in our home should be our own. Of course, Christina was embarrassed by this, and I wasn’t really ready for kids myself. She ended up staying in a room in the Tavern. Nicholas took good care of her, and Mary had been spending a significant amount of time with her. No one was bothered by the hobgoblin child. There was some gossip about it in town, but everyone seemed to agree that it was neither Sarah’s nor Grigear’s fault.
Of course, I had taken time on the way back to look over Christina’s character sheet. If this had been a video game, I probably would have insisted we go out and kill a bear or something. Her experience was at 397/400. It would take a very small amount for her to reach level 4. Nothing else on her sheet had really changed.
Fahvrin Mare had stayed near the Under Realms entrance until I had returned. That being said, since there wasn’t an expected attack, about 800 of his men had apparently left for the border and were there when we got back to the Varnelion Kingdom. That left about 200 men still here and apparently they intended to leave fifty men here even after I had arrived. The Prince said that the entrances to the Under Realms needed to stay guarded, but the new tensions arising between the Varnelion Kingdom and Largon Empire were going to keep them from having an exceptionally large force available for every location. He said that eventually they may turn to me to investigate further, but for now, he suggested that I put more resources into finding my friends which I couldn’t argue with.
I had asked Gregory about Bjorn-jakal. He insisted that the name sounded familiar, but he wasn’t certain where he had heard it. I described the demon to him, and he said it sounded like a Deathbringer, but they normally weren’t as powerful as what I described. Despite the name Deathbringer, apparently, they couldn’t innately cast Murder. He thought that it was likely a Deathbringer that had developed their spellcasting ability.